1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cup dispenser and, more particularly, pertains to a disposable plastic cup dispenser incorporating a spring for imparting biasing action to a stack of nested cups in the dispenser so as to render the cups available for individual and discrete dispensing thereof.
In essence, the utilization of cup dispensers of various types for the individual or discrete dispensing of cups from a stack of nested cups is well known in the technology; and in general, contemplates the provision of a housing or cylindrical receptacle containing a stack of such cups in a nested relationship with an opening being formed at one end of the receptacle through which there partially protrudes the endmost cup of the stack, and which is enabled to be individually separated from the remaining stack of cups through the exertion thereon of an axial pull tending to discharge the cup through the receptacle opening.
Basically, cup dispensers of the type under consideration are of a generally complex and resultingly expensive construction, which renders their applications to so-called "throw-away" or disposable cup dispensing uses rather uneconomical.
The present invention is directed towards the provision of an extremely simple and inexpensive disposable plastic cup dispenser, in which a spring member is arranged within a substantially cylindrical housing containing a stack of nested cups in an inverted position. The spring is in a compressed condition and extends intermediate the inner bottom wall surface of the container and the bottom of the lowermost cup of the stack of cups, thereby biasing the stack of cups towards a discharge or dispensing opening formed in the opposite end of the housing through which the endmost cup of the stack partially protrudes. Upon the endmost cup being withdrawn from the stack, such as by the exertion of an axial pull thereon tending to have a beaded rim at its larger open end pass through the opening in the housing, the spring will cause the stack to be biased upwardly towards the opening so as to position the next cup in the stack into a condition for dispensing thereof.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Although various dispensers for cups and the like are currently available in which resilient members or springs are adapted to exert biasing forces to advance the cups for individual dispensing from a stack of nested cups, the dispenser structures, in general, are rather complex, causing dispenser systems of that kind to be expensive and not particularly adapted for "throw-away" or disposable application.
Brown U.S. Pat. No. 4,199,076 discloses a cup dispenser in which a housing incorporates a helical compression spring exerting a compressive biasing force against a stack of nested cups through the interposition of a plate which is axially displaceable within the housing while being guided along a plurality of longitudinal guide ribs. This structure is relatively complex and expensive inasmuch as it necessitates the provision of the guide ribs, the separate cup-supporting plate and the helical spring acting thereon. Consequently, a cup dispensing package of that type is rather expensive from the standpoint of producing a disposable or single-use plastic cup dispenser system.
House U.S. Pat. No. 4,033,478 discloses a cup dispenser including a tubular container having a longitudinally extending coil spring arranged therein which acts to exert axial pressure against a cup-shaped member which will tend to bias stack of nested cups towards a dispensing opening formed at the end of the container, and wherein the cups are restrained within the opening by means of a plurality of resilient finger members projecting radially inwardly. Although this is a simpler construction than Brown, it still necessitates a plurality of components rendering the structure uneconomically expensive from the standpoint of providing a disposable cup dispenser system.
Radek U.S. Pat. No. 4,298,139 discloses a dispenser for disposable cups which are initially stacked in a flattened condition, and wherein a spring pressure against the end of the stack of the cups tending to bias the cups outwardly of the dispenser so as to be retrievable in individual units and then manually expanded for drinking purposes.